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When my parents came here from Cuba, they bought an American flag and told my siblings they were now American. When I came along they told me we were American first, Cuban second. I have always been so proud of my flag and my country. It offends me to see other flags as well. I guess because it meant so much to my parents to be here. That doesn't mean I would stop others from flying their flags, I JUST DON'T LIKE IT and last time I checked, we could still have opinions in this country.
Am I the only one who gets sick of people moving here from other countrys and waving their home flags in our face and we aren't susposed to say anything about it, I can say that if the hispanic population would stop acting like they are still in Mexico and start taking pride in where they are at and wave an American flag or two more people would think that they actually wanted to be a citizen of this country and maybe try and help them become one, The same goes for Puerto Ricans waving their flags from Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, not a country, if you've ever been to Miami then you'll know what i'm talking about, I'm not prejudice or anything and have no problem with any race, but when you come to America you show her some respect, it seems like talking about your old girlfriend to your new girlfriend all the time and after a while she gets tried of it, When in America act like you're in America, we don't care what country you came from as long as you are productive and helpful in this country and not a criminal.
Here's a true story about some friends of mine as food for thought...
The father of the family is an executive and is working on a multi-year project here in the states. Although he and his wife are Canadian citizens, they bought a beautiful house in my former neighborhood, enrolled their kids in the public school, made friends, and began paying taxes. All was well.
A few months in, they signed their son up to play for a local hockey league. At the end of the season, they hosted a Stanley Cup party at their new home, and as part of the decorations, they flew a Canadian flag on their porch to help their guests find the house.
The very next morning, they found a letter threatening to firebomb their home if they ever dared to fly a flag other than the Stars & Stripes again. It was the first hate crime ever recorded in the small suburban town where we all lived. A detective was assigned to monitor their safety, they tucked away the flag, and they installed a security alarm. They briefly considered moving back to Canada, but much to their friends' relief eventually decided to stick it out.
Despite the detective's warnings, their neighbors, including my spouse and I, went out and bought flags from countries all over the world and proceeded to plant them in yards all along the street. It was an absolutely beautiful show of support, and it made me proud to be a native-born American!
The bigot was never identified, and my former neighbors now have a huge network of friends who adore them and would go to the ends of the earth to protect them from further harassment. We are truly saddened that their time in the U.S. is rapidly coming to an end and they will be returning to Toronto. We will miss them terribly.
Last edited by formercalifornian; 08-09-2010 at 06:05 PM..
Here's a true story about some friends of mine as food for thought...
The father of the family is an executive and is working on a multi-year project here in the states. Although he and his wife are Canadian citizens, they bought a beautiful house in my former neighborhood, enrolled their kids in the public school, made friends, and began paying taxes. All was well.
A few months in, they signed their son up to play for a local hockey league. At the end of the season, they hosted a Stanley Cup party at their new home, and as part of the decorations, they flew a Canadian flag on their porch to help their guests find the house.
The very next morning, they found a letter threatening to firebomb their home if they ever dared to fly a flag other than the Stars & Stripes again. It was the first hate crime ever recorded in the small suburban town where we all lived. A detective was assigned to monitor their safety, they tucked away the flag, and they installed a security alarm. They briefly considered moving back to Canada, but much to their friends' relief eventually decided to stick it out.
Despite the detective's warnings, their neighbors, including my spouse and I, went out and bought flags from countries all over the world and proceeded to plant them in yards all along the street. It was an absolutely beautiful show of support, and it made me proud to be a native-born American!
The bigot was never identified, and my former neighbors now have a huge network of friends who adore them and would go to the ends of the earth to protect them from further harassment. We are truly saddened that their time in the U.S. is rapidly coming to an end and they will be returning to Toronto. We will miss them terribly.
What a beautiful story, your whole community should be very proud. I know I'd be proud to live in such a place.
Am I the only one who gets sick of people moving here from other countrys and waving their home flags in our face and we aren't susposed to say anything about it, I can say that if the hispanic population would stop acting like they are still in Mexico and start taking pride in where they are at and wave an American flag or two more people would think that they actually wanted to be a citizen of this country and maybe try and help them become one, The same goes for Puerto Ricans waving their flags from Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, not a country, if you've ever been to Miami then you'll know what i'm talking about, I'm not prejudice or anything and have no problem with any race, but when you come to America you show her some respect, it seems like talking about your old girlfriend to your new girlfriend all the time and after a while she gets tried of it, When in America act like you're in America, we don't care what country you came from as long as you are productive and helpful in this country and not a criminal.
Puerto ricans can wave their flags... That's a U.S. Territory flag.
Am I the only one who gets sick of people moving here from other countrys and waving their home flags in our face and we aren't susposed to say anything about it, I can say that if the hispanic population would stop acting like they are still in Mexico and start taking pride in where they are at and wave an American flag or two more people would think that they actually wanted to be a citizen of this country and maybe try and help them become one, The same goes for Puerto Ricans waving their flags from Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, not a country, if you've ever been to Miami then you'll know what i'm talking about, I'm not prejudice or anything and have no problem with any race, but when you come to America you show her some respect, it seems like talking about your old girlfriend to your new girlfriend all the time and after a while she gets tried of it, When in America act like you're in America, we don't care what country you came from as long as you are productive and helpful in this country and not a criminal.
No, you're probably not the only one who feels this way but don't forget that when Americans move to other countries they do the same darn thing.
The same goes for Puerto Ricans waving their flags from Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, not a country, if you've ever been to Miami then you'll know what i'm talking about...
Something to consider, particularly in the case of Miami, is that flag-waving Puerto Ricans may be trying to draw attention to the fact that they are NOT Cubans. Perhaps it boils down to two groups of Hispanics jockeying for social position. Anglo-Americans tend to lump all Hispanics together, but within the community, there is a great deal of division. Rather than seeing the flag-waving as a slam against the U.S.A, try to imagine the Puerto Ricans saying, "We're true Americans and belong here. They're immigrants and don't." Remember, Anglo-Americans don't have the market cornered when it comes to bigotry.
Last edited by formercalifornian; 08-10-2010 at 06:58 AM..
The irony, is that it can get much worse. in britain, it's considered hateful to fly the union jack there!
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